Conventionally, among banknote handling machines such as a banknote depositing and dispensing machine that process depositing and dispensing of banknotes, there is a banknote handling machine equipped with a tape storage type (tape single-wound type) banknote storing/feeding unit using one tape in order to perform storing and feeding of banknotes.
For example, as disclosed in European Patent No. 0795842 or International Publication No. WO 2008/047094, this banknote storing/feeding unit includes a drum that winds and rewinds one end of one tape, a reel that winds and rewinds the other end of the tape on and from the drum, an inlet/outlet for receiving banknotes transported from the outside and for feeding banknotes to the outside, and a guide body which is disposed so as to be swingable between the drum and the reel, to guide the tape and banknotes wound on and rewound from the drum, and the like. The guide body has a supporting point in the vicinity of the inlet/outlet, and forms a swinging passage swingable centering on this supporting point.
Then, banknotes transported from the outside are received from the inlet/outlet into the swinging passage of the guide body, to send the banknotes from the swinging passage of the guide body to a space between the tape to be wound on the drum and the outer circumferential surface of the drum, thereby the banknotes are wound on the drum together with the tape, to be stored. On the other hand, the tape is rewound from the drum, to feed the banknotes from between the tape to be rewound and the outer circumferential surface of the drum to the swinging passage of the guide body, and the banknotes are fed from the swinging passage to the outside via the inlet/outlet.
The guide body is configured to swing according to a wound amount of which the tape and the banknotes are wound on the drum (an outer wound diameter of the drum), to share a space for winding the tape and the banknotes on the drum and a space for winding the tape on the reel as a space in which the guide body swings.
However, because the supporting point around which the guide body swings is out of a region parallel to a virtual line connecting a rotational center of the drum and a rotational center of the reel, it is impossible to take a large turning angle of the guide body between the drum and the reel. Further, because the supporting point around which the guide body swings is near the inlet/outlet, it is impossible to take a large turning angle of the guide body.
As described above, in a tape single-wound type banknote storing/feeding unit, it is impossible to take a large turning angle of the guide body between the drum and the reel. Therefore, there has been a problem that it is impossible to effectively utilize the winding spaces of the drum and the reel, and the storing number of banknotes which are wound on the drum to be stored is small.
The present invention has been achieved in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a banknote storing/feeding unit which is capable of effectively utilizing winding spaces of the drum and the reel, to increase the number of banknotes to be stored.